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When it comes to robot vacuums, you've probably heard of Shark, Roomba, maybe Roborock — but Narwal? Nah. It's not a household name, but based on my experience with the Freo X Ultra, it probably should be. Having recently tested the Dyson 360 Vis Nav, DreameBot L20 Ultra and iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, I can say with certainty that the Freo X Ultra is among the best high-end housecleaning machines, and definitely one of my favorites. It's expensive, yes, but it's often discounted and priced comparably with other bots that sweep, mop and self-clean. Here's my Narwal Freo X Ultra review.
VERDICT: Unless you have a lot of high-pile carpet and cords on the floor, this is one of the best combo cleaners you can deploy to keep your house clean.
The glossy all-white Freo X Ultra would be right at home in an Apple Store. I particularly like the sculpted design of the dock and its embedded touchscreen, which you can use for basic robot functions (start/stop, recall, child lock, etc.). Narwal supplies a useful quick-start poster along with an actual printed manual that's brief but informative, with written explanations (how quaint!) of various options and features.
Installing the included cleaning-detergent bottle was a bit confusing, as it wasn't immediately clear where inside the base station it should go. What's more, the instructions indicated leaving the cap on the bottle, but there was a foil cover on that cap with an arrow that suggested it should be removed.
That wrinkle figured out, I had an easy time setting up things in the Narwal app, which required just a few steps to create a Narwal account and then get the robot connected to my home Wi-Fi network.
Like most such machines, it's supposed to be installed someplace with a bit of space on either side of the dock. But I shoehorned mine in between a washing machine and shoe rack, and thankfully the bot had no trouble navigating in or out.
This robot relies on a pair of rotating brush heads (many, if not most, use just one) to pull debris into the path of its roller-brush vacuum (more on that in a bit). It also employs dual spinning mop heads, which are dampened and treated with detergent during startup, then cleaned and dried (with heat!) afterward. The Freo will, as needed, return to the dock mid-cycle to "freshen up" the mop heads.
One thing I noticed right off the bat is that the Freo is quieter than a lot of the robovacs I've tried, at least in "standard" mode. It does get noisier when it increases suction, which it can do automatically when it senses dirtier areas. (You can also manually set the suction strength at the start of a cleaning cycle.)
In an effort to combat a common robomop problem, the Freo's mop heads will automatically raise 12 millimeters — a few more than most — when it rolls onto rugs or carpet. The idea here is to prevent those wet heads from dragging on fibers. This works well enough for low-pile carpet, but if you have shag or even just what I'd call "plush" carpet, 12mm isn't high enough. This is one area where something like the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ fares better; its mop pad raises all the way to the top of the robot, so it never drags. (It's not quite as effective at cleaning, though.)
In my tests, the Freo performed very well at cleaning my laminate kitchen floors, and I loved rarely having to worry about cleaning or even checking the mop pads. I do wish the Narwal app would warn me when the clean- and dirty-water tanks are getting low or close to full, respectively, so I could empty them proactively. Instead, I'd often start a job, then return to find that it didn't happen because a tank needed attention. On the plus side, both tanks are huge, meaning fewer trips to the sink.
The Freo X Ultra's zero-tangle brush works as advertised. This is what it looks like after months of use and zero cleaning. It's spotless. The mop pads are in surprisingly good shape too. (Rick Broida/Yahoo)
Narwal packed a couple interesting innovations into this machine. The first is the roller brush, which promises freedom from the tangles that result from sucking up hair, pet fur, carpet fibers and the like. Every robot vacuum I've ever used has required painstaking removal of these tangles at some point.
Imagine my surprise, then, upon examining the Freo's brush and finding nothing on it. It was spotless, as clean as the day I unpacked it. And this was after months of use. My dog doesn't shed, so I can't say for certain if it would stay this clean after sucking up pet hair, but I'm still amazed by the results.
Where does all the sucked-up debris go? Into the robot's dustbin, of course, but unlike most other premium vacs, this one doesn't self-empty into its dock after each cleaning. Instead, it compresses the dirt in its internal disposable bag. Narwal estimates you can go up to seven weeks before needing to replace it. (I waited until the app informed me the bag was full. That was after around three months, though take note I run the machine only once or twice a week, not daily. Rather than toss the bag, I emptied it as best I could and reinstalled it.)
So while you might think, "Wait, this robot doesn't self-empty like all the other ones do?", it doesn't need to because of this dust-compression method. What's more, there's no risk of a clog developing in between the vacuum and the dock, and no nerve-rattling emptying noise, either.
Narwal's app is ... okay. Some aspects are intuitive, others require some study (like icons that have no labels and aren't easy to identify). I especially wish it was a little better in the mapping department.
From left to right: The Narwal app's main screen, map editor and settings page. This map isn't an adequate representation of my house, as it doesn't account for the stairways in the center. (Rick Broida/Yahoo)
As with most modern robot vacuums, this one scans your home and creates a virtual map. Once it's done, you can label various rooms, create dividers, set up no-go zones and so on. Unfortunately, the app didn't do a great job creating the initial map. It didn't identify rooms or furniture; I had to add that stuff manually. A few other apps I've tried, like those from Dyson and iRobot, make all this a lot easier. Thankfully, after you've got your map all set up, you shouldn't need to mess with it again.
This machine is a great cleaner, no question, but it's not the best navigator. On many occasions, I noticed that it scurried off in a random direction right in the middle of cleaning, like it had somewhere else to be. And when returning to the dock for charging or a mop wash, it often heads to the wrong room before turning around and cruising to the laundry room. ("Oh, right, that's where the dock is.")
A wayward bootlace snared the Freo X Ultra — and not for the first time. The robot struggles to navigate around cords and other stringy items. (Rick Broida/Yahoo)
Similarly, despite being packed with advanced sensors, on one occasion it gobbled up a wayward bootlace and got stuck, requiring me to free it. The same thing happened with a power cord running from a lamp. It has no problem avoiding bigger stuff, but it struggles with things like strings and cords.
Navigation and obstacle-avoidance hiccups notwithstanding, I'm a fan of the Freo X Ultra — mostly because I rarely have to pay attention to it. I start a vacuum/mop cycle, and a couple hours later, it's done. Every few weeks, I empty the dirty-water tank and refill the clean-water one. And most importantly, the floors definitely appear clean.
The $1,400 list price is hard to swallow, no question. But Narwal does discount this handy bot on occasion. At the time of this writing, it's on sale for $1,000. At a minimum, the Freo X Ultra should be on your short list of housecleaning time-savers.
